Urinary Tract Infection
Can Be Prevented

Urinary tract infections (UTIs), characterized by a burning sensation and painful urination, are caused by bacteria in the bladder and urethral through which urine flows out of the body.

UTIs cause a painful irritation of the bladder and urinary tract called infectious cystisis.

A bacterial (UTI) is the most common kind of infection affecting the urinary tract.

Urine, is the fluid that is filtered out of the bloodstream by the kidneys. Urine contains salts and waste products, but it doesn't normally contain bacteria. When bacteria get into the bladder or kidney and multiply in the urine, a urinary tract infection can result.

Common Causes

This is what happened to me, but after a couple of times, once in the hospital, I learned how to treat and to prevent urinary tract infections.

Likewise using a poorly fitting diaphragm also can impede bladder function.

And the use of chemical spermicides, which seem to make the urinary tract more hospitable to bacteria, have been associated with a higher incidence of UTIs.

The two forms of lower urinary tract infection (UTI) are cystitis (infection of the bladder) and urethritis (infection of the urethra).

A less common chronic version, interstitial cystitis, can occur without any infections. Though its cause is unknown, researchers believe it's an autoimmune response, the product of an oversensitive bladder or triggered by the consumption of acidic or fermented foods.

Alternative Health Care

Echinacea and garlic (eat two to three raw cloves a day or take a pill form and follow package dose directions) help prevent and fight urinary tract infections. Get at least 1,000 mg of vitamin C, 10,000 IU of natural beta-carotene and 400 IU of natural vitamin E a day.

Eat plenty of these natural, organic whole foods, including colorful vegetables, for natural doses of these antioxidants.

To treat the inflammation of infectious and interstitial cystitis and prevent future flare-ups, look to the following remedies:

Healthy Diet

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• Analyze your diet. Diet should be your number one concern with cystitis. Cut out the SCAR foods: sugar, caffeine, alcohol and refined stuff.

This is good advice for anyone, but especially for women enduring recurring interstitial cystitis.

• Stay hydrated. Moving liquids through the urinary tract is the best way to prevent urinary tract infection--and to flush out bacteria that have settled in.

  Drink at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day. At the first sign of an infection, mix a teaspoon of baking soda into one of the glasses.

• Try tea. For recurring cystitis, make one of your daily drinks a cup of this soothing, mildly diuretic herbal tea.

  Mix equal parts corn silk, marshmallow root, uva ursi (also known as bearberry), St. John's wort and chamomile. Use one teaspoon of the dried herbs per cup of water.

• When you gotta go...Go. But cruelly, one symptom of cystitis is the sensation that you urgently have to urinate, although you may only produce a few drops. But if you have a urinary tract infection, heed the call--even if urination is painful.
• If you're prone to recurring infections, change your internal chemistry to be less hospitable. For immediate relief, give yourself a vaginal suppository of acidophilus in 00-size veggie caps, and leave in overnight. Do this every night for a week, and symptoms should disappear.

  For long-term prevention, continue doing this once a week for sixmonths.

• Consider cranberry. It can help prevent bacteria from sticking to the walls of the urinary tract. Buy unsweetened juices, or look for brands sweetened with other fruit juices (like apple) instead of refined sugar.

  Drink 8 ounces a day as a preventive and as much as you can if you have an active infection. Most experts recommend juice, but you also can buy cranberry in tablets and capsules. (follow dosage directions on the label).

• see alternative practitioners. Some has had success treating infections with homeopathy, but since every case is different, you need to have a full evaluation. Chiropractors (for lumbar adjustments)and acupuncturists also report good results.

And you can say bye bye to urinary tract infection.

For more information, check out these links:

Women's Health

Healthy Diets

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